


The weight of the truth

by Chiaki_Hamano



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Bromance, Dark, Desert Bluffs Carlos - Freeform, Episode: e073 Triptych, M/M, Pre-Strex Kevin, Side dish of fluff, Strexcorp is Evil, Typical Desert Bluffs Violence, between Cecil and Kevin, will add more tags as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 02:10:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7782796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiaki_Hamano/pseuds/Chiaki_Hamano
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unable to lie to a pre-Strex Kevin about a future that is too horrid to describe and about the kind of thing Strexcorp turned him into, Cecil blurted out the truth and the past was altered. The present is changed and the future has become an uncertainty. What is the price that Cecil has to pay for telling the truth? How different is this present and how terrible has Night Vale’s future become? [Set in Triptych]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am new to this fandom and I have yet to listen to every episode so if I make a mistake, please forgive me. I will try to get as many facts right as possible. English also isn't my first language, and this fic is unbeta-ed, so all mistakes are on me. This is a prologue/teaser to what's more to come. Future chapters will be much longer and more detailed.

Cecil hadn’t known that his heart was capable of creating so much pain in an event that wasn’t related to his beloved, perfect Carlos. He was proven wrong. His heart ached and his eyes stung with tears that just wouldn’t fall. When he was on air today, he hadn’t anticipated this rollercoaster of emotions that followed. He hadn’t known that he would speak to three Kevins, each was so different from the others. Cecil had always hated him. He was everything that represented Strexcorp in Cecil’s head. Him and that wrecked woman Lauren. But now, Cecil’s mind was trying to catch up with this new image of a Kevin that wasn’t influenced by that evil company.

 

A Kevin that used his own body to be the last stand between Strexcorp and the Radio Station… What had he said? Kevin said that the company had ‘forced their way past him using ethically brutal methods that left him forever physically changed’. Cecil had seen Kevin’s body, how deformed it was, he had also witnessed Strexcorp’s brutality. It wasn’t hard to imagine Kevin’s beaten up body standing between the force of evil and the last light of Desert Bluffs. The mind was a cruel thing, it kept thinking and imagining and Cecil really wished that he could shut down that part of himself. Or maybe he could shut down the part that felt things… Because right now, Cecil’s mind was working overtime trying to come up with different scenarios of Kevin’s unfortunate fate. 

 

Did Kevin’s body slide down the door and did he hold his stomach while those monsters kicked and beat and tortured him? How stubborn was he? How much did he resist? How hard did he try? What had they done to him…? The imagination was a wild thing, and usually, people said that what the imagination came up with was usually more brutal than the real thing… However, right this instant, Cecil could not come up with a scenario that was more devastating than the reality that Kevin must have lived through. He couldn’t imagine the sheer helplessness and hopelessness that Kevin must have felt…

 

Future Kevin was an empty shell of himself. A man that had lost all hope. He had said that he wished that they were friends. Cecil had wanted to scream. He wished that they were friends, too. He wished he could know a pre-Strex Kevin better. He wished, he wished, he wished… There was so many things that he wished right now. But more than ever, he wished that he could speak to Future Kevin again. He wanted to reassure him that however briefly, Cecil and pre-Strex Kevin had been… friends. There had been a connection between them. They had clicked.

 

Messing frantically with the loose wires and trying to get back to that Future Kevin, Cecil wanted to give Kevin something good for once. He dimly realized that he had somehow re-connected to the pre-Strex Kevin. What happened a few minutes after was Cecil’s brain had a shutdown and his mouth worked for him but he didn’t really think about what he said, a hollow feeling left him numb and unresponsive.

 

In fact, he didn’t notice Kevin until the dreaded sentence was spoken. “Hey, you’re from the future! That means you know how this turns out!” Kevin had spoken cheerfully, seemingly happy to have a sneak peek at the future that pained Cecil to imagine let alone to live in it. Cecil swallowed thickly and stammered out an answer. “Well, uh, y– y– yes, I do.” He said, cursing himself for stammering so badly. ‘ _Oh no, please don’t ask the question. Please don’t ask the question. Please don’t ask the question’_ , Cecil prayed mentally. 

 

The inevitable came. “So? Do I win? Does everything go just as right as right could be?” Kevin asked. Words failed Cecil as pain and panic welled up in his chest in equal measure, choking him until he couldn’t even breathe. What was one supposed to say? Should he lie to Kevin? Gave him false hope and watched as it crumbled to dust when Strexcorp took over? Should he warn Kevin? Gave him a fighting chance? Cecil couldn’t get the image of Kevin being tortured in unimaginable ways out of his mind.

 

His voice broke and cracked when he finally managed to find words. “N-No.” Cecil closed his eyes, shutting them tight as tears prickled at the corners. He couldn’t lie. He didn’t have enough strength to lie. He just wasn’t strong enough to lie, not when Kevin sounded so hopeful. So happy. So… proud of his own hometown it just broke Cecil’s heart to millions pieces. “No. You failed. Strex took over. Please, Kevin. You have to go get help. You have to find Past me in Night Vale. Find Cecil Palmer. Get help, please. You have to change this horrible present.” He choked on own words, his shoulders trembled.

 

Kevin was quiet for a very long time. “Kevin? Are you-Are you still there?” Cecil asked hesitantly, cursing himself when he sounded like he had cried. He hadn’t. Nope. Not at all. “I’m still here, Cecil. I’m just… I am having a hard time, that’s all.” Kevin’s voice sounded lost. Hollow out. Sad. “I-” Kevin began only to fall silent again. Cecil didn’t know what was running through his mind right now but it couldn’t possibly be anything good.

 

“Thank… Thank you, Cecil. I will talk to you again soon. Well, not  _now_  you… But past you. Thank you so much for warning me.” Kevin said finally. “Good bye Cecil. I’m forever in your debt.” Cecil adjusted his headphones and wiped his eyes. “You’re welcome. I’m glad… I’m glad I could help.” He whispered but the line had already gone dead.

 

There was only silence in the radio station now. A thick, heavy silence that unsettled Cecil. Had he made a difference? Had the future changed? What was going on behind that door? Why didn’t he remember anything… different? Did that mean Cecil’s warning didn’t do any good?

 

Cecil stared at the door that separated him from the world, and for the first time since the beginning of today’s show, he wondered about the choice he had made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have reached the end of the prologue. Please leave me a comment to let me know if I should continue this fic. I'm very uncertain about the idea so it would be very nice to get some feedbacks. Thank you.


	2. When our paths collided

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, right, so the next chapter is here. It's not as long as I would have liked but I want to give you guys a prologue and a chapter so you can decide whether my story is worth your time or not. It's still unbeta-ed so all mistakes are still on me. I won't take up space anymore so let's get back to the story. The next chapter might take longer to write but will definitely be longer and hopefully, better written as well :D

Cecil didn’t feel anything different. There wasn’t a rush of new memories that replaced the old ones and everything was surprisingly… boring. He didn’t know what he was expecting actually. Did he expect everything to go right? Did he expect this reality to collapse to replace with a new one? Shouldn’t he know if something happened? Did this mean that everything still stayed the same, and Kevin was still turned into a deformed monster? Had Desert Bluffs’ resistance still failed?

 

The door was now the only thing that stood between Cecil and this new, uncertain present and just as he was about to open it, there were loud banging noises like someone was slamming their fist repeatedly on the metal. Of course, they wouldn’t be able to open it without Cecil. He had installed a new bloodstone set of lock that could only be opened by his interns and Cecil himself. After the last few times where the others had broken in, he had been convinced that it was best to get better security.

 

“Open the damn door, Cecil.” A male voice said, fist hitting the metal again and again. “Are you even in there? Holy Bluffs, they are going to find me. Hurry up and open the door.”

 

Cecil stared at the door with a dumbfounded look on his face. He didn’t recognize the voice. Well, no, that was a lie. He recognized the voice which was why it was so strange to hear it. Shouldn’t he be in the otherworld’s Desert Bluffs? But wait, he had already changed the past, right? So maybe this Kevin wasn’t the same Kevin that he had known. But if that was the case, who was he running from?

 

Conflicting emotions warred inside Cecil and he hesitantly opened the door, sucking on his thumb at the blood that welled up. There Kevin was, looking disheveled but… he didn’t look like the brainwashed puppet of destruction and bloodshed that Cecil knew. Kevin slammed the door shut and leaned against the door, breathing heavily. “Holy Bluffs, that was a close call.” He said, glancing at Cecil.

 

“You okay, Cecil? It took you a really long time to open the door.” Kevin said, concern colored his voice. Cecil opened his mouth but then he closed it again. Words just wouldn’t be able to convey how surprised he was to see this man in front of him. So, in true shocked Cecil’s fashion, he blurted out the first obvious fact that came to his mind. "You really do look like me." He said, blinking dumbly. He was a man of many words, but in the face of unexpected and personal situations, he just couldn't find proper words. ' _Oh yeah, really smart observation right there._ _Real smooth._ ' Cecil scolded himself.

 

Kevin seemed to pay attention to Cecil for the first time since he came inside the room. He frowned and shook his head. "Cecil, please don't tell me you choose this moment to have an existence crisis." He said, running a hand through his hair. "Can you postpone this crisis for a moment? They are gonna come looking for me and I really need a place to hide." He said, scrambling to find a hiding place.

 

Finally, Cecil's brain rebooted. "Who are you running from?" He asked. "And why are they chasing you?" The look he received from Kevin was a look of sheer disbelief and so much shock that it was insulting. The other man was about to reply when there was a new set of knocking on the heavy metal. Kevin snapped his mouth shut and immediately hid in the supply closet. How could he hide in a closet that had been packed full with electricity supplies, Cecil didn't even know.

 

"Cecil, hey Cecil~ Would you mind opening the door please?" An over the top cheery voice said, and Cecil's attention snapped back to focus. Oh, it couldn't be. That voice just couldn't belong to the person Cecil thought it belonged to. That wrecked woman. "Pretty please? It's a standard check-in~ StrexCorp's policy is to make sure that our employees are always kept happy. Happy employees mean productive employees~" She said. Cecil scoffed. _'The only thing that would make me happy right now is for you to disappear forever_.' He thought, glancing toward Kevin's hiding place and reluctantly unlocking the door to let her in.

 

Lauren Mallard came in with Daniel the supervisor and their henchmen, all wearing a bright smile. "I didn't know that it's traditional for StrexCorp to bring a whole army to check up on one employee." Cecil said tersely. Lauren gave a forced laugh, her cheery smile became a bit faker and Cecil congratulated himself for the small victory. "Well~ We make an exception for you~! Doesn't that make you super happy? By the way, have you seen Kevin? You know, the missing person? We are so worried about him. Everyone in Desert Bluffs misses him so dearly that we just have to captur- Oh I’m sorry. That was such a strong word.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “I mean, everyone misses him so much that we just have to get him home!” She said. Yeah, the day she meant what she said was the day Carlos stopped being allergic to cats. Which was to say, never.

 

Cecil barely managed not to huff. “Are you accusing me of hiding a missing person?” He asked, his scoff was visible in his voice. Lauren shook her head. “Oh no, not at all. Not at all. If you were hiding him, he wouldn’t be missing anymore, right? We are just afraid that he might have just taken a nap here. You wouldn’t mind us checking, would you?” She asked and Cecil gritted his teeth. He forced a smile on his face. “Go ahead then. Don’t mess everything up.” He said, gesturing to his station.

 

The henchmen got to work, opening and closing doors to find Kevin while Cecil prayed that Kevin would be smart enough to hide somewhere safe. Lauren came to him, giving him a coy look. “So~ You would give us a call if you found Kevin, right~? And maybe inform the lovely citizens of greater Desert Bluffs metropolitan area?” She asked, handing him her business card which had several bright orange triangles and the word ‘StrexCorp’ on it.

 

“Of course. That would be best if he is found. Of course.” Cecil said, putting the business card away. “Are we done here? I would like to wrap up tonight’s show please.” He said politely. Lauren’s eyes widened. “Oh dear! We didn’t mean to occupy your time. C’mon, boys. I’m sure with determination and productivity, we will find Kevin in no time! We always find whom we look for.” Her voice dropped and her lips tilted up in an evil smirk as one of the henchmen paused in his motion to open the supply closet and close the door. Together, everyone left the station, with Daniel still shooting him dark looks on the way out.

 

* * *

 

 

“They left.” Cecil informed to the seemingly empty station, checking the door one last time to make sure that it was locked. He sat down on the chair. “Come out.” He said, frowning slightly. So StrexCorp was still in control. This was not the beginning of a very bright present in Cecil’s mind. Maybe there were some other highlights?

 

“Thank all the Old Gods.” Kevin said, pushing open the door and stumbled out, dusting himself. “What did you keep in the supply closet? I swear I heard growls coming from inside.” He pointed toward the innocent looking closet and Cecil just shrugged but offered no explanation.

 

“Sorry, I know you said not to come find you here in case those vile beasts come barging in but I have important intel from Tamika Flynn. I thought you might want to know.” Kevin said, sitting down on an empty chair, visibly slumping in relief. Now that the danger was over, Cecil had regained his wits. He pointed an accusing finger toward Kevin, narrowing his eyes.

 

“First of all, _why_ are you here? You are supposed to be in the desert otherworld. Secondly, why is _StrexCorp_ still here? We kicked them out. And thirdly, why are you looking so…” He gestured wildly at the confused Kevin. “…Normal? You are supposed to have these…” Cecil pointed toward his eyes. “… black as obsidian eyes. And a wicked smile.” He dropped his hand in his lap. He knew that technically, he had changed the past, but the truth hadn’t really sunk yet. It just seemed too farfetched. And shouldn’t he have new memories if he had already changed the events?

 

Kevin’s frown deepened through the conversation. “Have you been re-educated by the City Council lately? You seem more… confused than you usually are.” He said, reaching forward as if to feel Cecil’s temperature which was stupid of course as Night Vale had a different scale of heat. Cecil jerked back and away from the coming hand, biting out a growl. “Stay away.” He said defensively and Kevin raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

 

“Hey, calm down. I’m just worried.” He said sincerely. “Being worried makes me very unhappy, I’ll be happier knowing you are okay.” Kevin continued. They fell into awkward silent as Cecil tried to process the image of a different Kevin in front of him while Kevin seemed to be worried. Finally, Kevin offered hesitantly. “I can’t help you with the gaps in your memories, but perhaps I can fill you in with my words. Would you want that?” He asked.

 

Cecil nodded immediately, all too happy to grip onto the chance of filling in the missing details because apparently, the past had changed, only he couldn’t remember it. “So what’s the last thing that you remember?” Kevin asked hesitantly. Cecil frowned. “How did we meet?” He asked frankly.

 

“Wow, you lost _a lot_ of memories.” Kevin sounded impressed. Cecil was unamused, he tapped his foot impatiently and Kevin continued quickly after he realized that Cecil was not as impressed as he was. “Right, so, okay, this may sound a little bit weird, but basically, this happened way before that vile incorporation took over Desert Bluffs. They just began to move in, and I worked on a radio station, well, one time, I was on air, and suddenly, I caught the signal of a future you. You know, Cecil, but in the future? I never did get a chance to ask how far ahead he was…” He clarified. “I was in the resistance of Desert Bluffs then. And well, if you meet someone from the future, you gotta be curious, right? So I asked him, you, asked whether we would be successful to kick StrexCorp out or not.” He paused, waiting for Cecil to absorb the information.

 

Cecil was silent for a moment or two before he bit out. “Go on.” He said, the puzzle pieces began to fall back into places.

 

“Right, so future you said that we failed. That StrexCorp took over. And he told me to find you, that’s the present you at the time and find help.” Kevin said. “I’m forever grateful for that. I don’t know what would have happened if I stayed. Maybe I would be turned into one of those dreadful mindless beasts.” He shuddered. “I’m all for productivity and hard work but not like _that_. Can you imagine me working for them? I’d rather _die_.”

 

“Trust me, I can imagine you working for them. And it’s not pretty.” Cecil muttered, remembering the radically different man that was used and discarded mercilessly by the evil corporation. “Right, so you found me? Why didn’t we win? Did you try to tell us about StrexCorp?” He asked. That was what he wanted to know. Why was StrexCorp still here? And if Kevin was not in the desert otherworld did that mean his perfectly imperfect, beloved Carlos was still here, too?

 

“I’m getting there. I’m getting there. Jeez, you are so impatient.” Kevin replied with a chuckle. “So, after hearing that, I left Desert Bluffs. It was pretty tough to get permission for vacation, you know.” He paused meaningfully like there was a hidden joke there but when Cecil just stared, he continued hastily. “Right, so I met Larry Leroy, out of the edge of town, and stayed there for a few days. Larry was kind enough to let me stay. So I was still checking on Desert Bluffs from afar and you know what, right after I left, StrexCorp made a move! Holy Bluffs! If I had stayed, I would have been turned! It was such an incredibly close call!” Kevin exclaimed.

  
“Um… Kevin… Can you stop with the Holy Bluffs? It’s… weird.” Cecil cut in, wincing. Well, at least he knew that Kevin was still dramatic without the influence of StrexCorp, less smiley though. And less bloody, too.

 

Kevin didn’t seem to notice Cecil’s words and he continued with a sweeping motion of his hand. “So anyway, by then I knew you worked in Night Vale Community Radio so of course, I went to look for you.” He chuckled at the apparent fond memory. “You kicked me out as soon as you heard I’m from Desert Bluffs. Shut out whatever I had to say, too. I think you have problems with competitiveness.” He said. “You were pretty bitter about Night Vale team losing something to Desert Bluffs. I think you thought I came to gloat or something about the Bluffs’ victory.”

 

Cecil huffed. He was so not competitive. Even though he totally knew that he was. Not that he would admit it in front of Kevin of all people.

 

Kevin shrugged, his chuckle had turned into a small smile with a hint of sadness in it. “You were the voice of Night Vale, Cecil Palmer. Just like how I used to be the voice of Desert Bluffs. After you kicked me out of the radio station, I didn’t know where I would go and well, you had less than flattering things to say about me. It was a difficult time for me. If it wasn’t for John Peter, you know, the farmer?” He paused, waiting for a confirmation.

 

Cecil nodded curtly, wondering where this story was going. “Yes, I know. Go on.”

 

“Right, if it wasn’t for his kindness, I would probably still be homeless. He needed someone to help with his crops and I just need a place to sleep and food to fill my stomach. It’s not like I could go back home. So he kind of took me in out of pity and I stayed there under the radar working for him. It was a very rough couple of months. Sometimes, I thought I should just give up. I listened to the radio, I knew what you said about the ‘stranger from that other awful town Desert Bluffs’, but then I remember that future you warned me and I was saved. So that means that somewhere, deep, deep down, you must be a good man. And I’m never one to give up without a fight.” He turned back to look at Cecil in the eyes. “I’m so glad I’m right!” He said with a beaming smile that reminded Cecil of the ones that Strex Kevin usually wore. Only this one was a whole lot more genuine.

 

“So how come I suddenly tolerated you? Or do I still hate you now?” Cecil asked hesitantly. He was trying to catch up with the massive amount of information dump that Kevin just gave him.

 

“Oh no, no, no. We are best friends now. But we weren’t then. You came for a live interview with John Peter, you know, the farmer? And then you saw me. We bonded over cat videos.” Kevin beamed. “Don’t you think kitties jumping in and out of boxes are the _cutest_?” He squealed.

 

Cecil couldn’t help but agree because yes, of course, cats jumping in and out of boxes must be the cutest thing ever. “Yes! They are _adorable!_ ” He agreed enthusiastically. There was a moment of intense familiarity and suddenly, the idea that Kevin and he became best friends wasn’t so difficult to imagine. They grinned at each other at their gushing about cats. Cecil had to give Kevin points. Liking cats was indeed a very, very decent point. “So I like you, and then you told me about Strex?” He asked.

 

Kevin shook his head. “Nope. Even if I wanted to tell you then I didn’t know how to. I mean, you were still wary of me, and I didn’t know how to tell you that future you warned me about it. So I kept my silence for awhile longer. Eventually, I got a new job at Night Vale Community Radio. It wasn’t like home and I missed Desert Bluffs so much but it gave me a purpose, a direction. I became the voice of Night Vale by day and you are the voice of Night Vale by night.” He smiled. “I was happy, you know. It felt a tiny bit like home. I’m happy to give my positive vibe to the people of Night Vale.”

 

Cecil was about to push for the story to go faster when there was a polite knock on the door, making both of them jump in unison. “It’s time to go home, Cecil~ We have to get ready for a day of productivity tomorrow.” Someone, probably an intern, said. Kevin checked the time.

 

“Oh yeah, it’s late already. Let’s go home. I still live there, and whenever that wrecked woman comes to check up on you, I get away using a special tunnel. If you still don’t remember things tomorrow, I can tell you more.” Kevin said. Cecil visibly recoiled when he realized that Kevin might be living with him and he referred to it as ‘home’.

 

“We aren’t like… dating, are we?” Cecil asked, making a face. As amazing as this version of Kevin was, Cecil only set sight on one person, and that person happened to be a scientist on top of his field, and with a name started with a C, not a K. The question made Kevin recoil as well... which was definitely a good sign.

 

“Eww no, dating you would just be like dating my own brother. And people don’t go date their own brother.” Kevin denied immediately. “Nah, we are just best friends living together, and not with benefit.” He clarified.

 

“Oh, good. Because I have someone else in mind.” Cecil said, relaxing his shoulders and let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He opened the door and together, the both of them walked home.

 

* * *

 

 

_“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? We could have done something! Anything!”_

_“I didn’t know what to say! There never seemed to be a right time! And I was scared… I was scared of what you would think of me. Are we still friends?”_

_“You dumb idiot. I’m so mad that you didn’t tell me sooner so we could find a way to prevent this but I’m not going to lose a friend over this. The next time you will stop this secret thing, you hear me? Secrets ruin relationships!”_

 

* * *

 

 

Cecil jolted awake with his entire body soaked in sweat. He couldn’t remember what the dream was about, only that it gave him a tangled mess of emotions that he didn’t even know where to begin sorting out. And worst of all, there was a lack of a familiar warm body next to him. He let out a tortured groan and pulled the blanket up to cover his head to avoid the evil thing that was called ‘the sun’.

 

“Rise and shine, sleepy head! Today is a great day~!” Someone barged in with an overly chipper voice, and then there was a clanking noise like that someone was tapping a frying pan with a wooden spoon. What a loud obnoxious noise. “How about pancakes and coffee? C’mon, it’s time to wake up!”

 

Cecil just let out a tortured ‘Oh my god’ before burrowing himself deeper into a blanket. As luck would have it, he was living with an overly chipper morning person. There was just simply so much agony. After tossing and turning for a little while longer, Cecil sat up and spent five minutes of his life reflecting on how tired he was right now. You know, typical stuff normal people did in the morning.

 

He stumbled into the kitchen a little bit later, still too tired to think. He dropped his entire body onto a chair and laid his head down on the table, groaning and grumbling something unintelligently under his breaths. That someone placed a mug of coffee in front of him, the white porcelain coffee mug made a small ‘clink’ as it contacted the table. “Thanks.” Cecil croaked, letting the boiling liquid of godly power burned his tongue pleasantly. It took him three mugs to even feel remotely okay enough to speak without making dying noises.

 

He rubbed his eyes and glared blearily at a still too cheerful Kevin who placed a stack of pancakes in front of him. “Morning people are aliens.” Cecil announced. “If aliens were real, of course.” He shoved a pancake in his mouth, groaning at the taste. It was good.

 

“Don’t be so grumpy. Today is a whole new day. You can do anything. Everything! How amazing is that?! So much to accomplish, and so many things to look forward to.” Kevin beamed brightly, drinking his… ugh… orange juice and eating his own pancakes.

 

“Mornings are a concept created by the evil government in order to destroy our fighting spirit. And the sun is a beast ready to devour everything.” Cecil grumbled, rubbing his eyes. This felt… surprisingly domestic. It was like a ritual that they did every day.

 

Kevin just laughed in delight. “So you say every morning.” He said. “Do you feel better after a good night sleep?” He asked. Cecil grunted. “Not really. Couldn’t remember the dream I had. Thanks for the food, though. It was great.” He mumbled, not forgetting his manners. Kevin beamed. “You’re welcome. I guess I was too optimistic that a good night sleep will fix everything. But hey, don’t worry. We can do this together.” He said, patting Cecil’s shoulder sympathetically.

 

“Oh yeah! I never did get to tell you about what Tamika told me. She told me that she thought the training was going great, and that the girl scouts could control the helicopters pretty fluently now. She’s thinking of training them more in hand-to-hand combat though.” Kevin mused.

 

Cecil paused. “So, Lauren Mallard put you up as ‘missing person’ already, I’m assuming that you no longer worked for Night Vale Community Radio?” He asked. Kevin shrugged before nodding, frowning. “Yeah, after Strex came here, I knew they would be looking for me. Don’t worry though, I’m pretty happy being the messenger between Night Vale citizens and the resistance.” He said, patting his chest where his heart located. “I couldn’t do much for Desert Bluffs so I’m going to try harder to make it up to Night Vale.”

 

Cecil was struck mute by the declaration. Oh. Oh this was the kind of man that Kevin would be if it wasn’t for Strex. Very passionate, still too chipper in the morning for Cecil’s own good, but a good man. A truly good man. “That’s… that’s good.” Cecil cleared his throat, giving Kevin an awkward pat. “Just don’t get captured. I would hate for them to work whatever vile magic on you.” He said. Yeah, he could get used to this man.

 

“I will be extra careful, don’t you worry.” Kevin said confidently. “I would never, ever-“ He swept his hand to emphasize his point. “- _Ever_ let StrexCorp get what they want.” He nodded to himself as if agreeing. “Okay, I gotta go now. New intel waiting and a lot to organize. Can you cook dinner tonight? I can grab grocery on my way back. Just no pasta salad please.” He shuddered. Cecil chuckled. “No pasta salad then.” He agreed.

 

Just as Kevin was about to leap out of the secret passage that was definitely _not_ the backdoor, Cecil stopped him. “Hey, Kevin?” He called and Kevin paused in mid-step. “Yes?” He turned around. Cecil wet his lips nervously.

 

“Am I… Am I dating someone named Carlos?” He asked. Now that there was coffee in his system, he could think clearer. And there were no pictures of him and Carlos _anywhere_. It sent all sort of alarms off in his head. A life without Carlos? That was unimaginable. Carlos was his warmth… His anchor to this boring world.

 

Kevin frowned. “I can’t say that you are. I only know one Carlos and you are definitely _not_ dating _him_.” He made a face of disgust. “Anyway, anything else you want? I really gotta go.” He gestured wildly toward the door.

 

Cecil just gave a numb nod. “Um, bye, I guess. See you later. I will text you the shopping list in Morse code.” He said. Kevin just beamed. “Awesome, stay safe, Cecil!” He said and disappeared through the door, leaving Cecil alone in the empty apartment.

 

Cecil wandered from room to room, just looking at the proof of Kevin in his apartment and felt a hollow ache in his heart with each reminder that Carlos wasn’t here. Though everywhere he looked, there was something that indicated his friendship with Kevin. There was a photo Kevin holding up an orange with a bright smile on his face while Cecil wore a fake grumpy look. Another photo on the wall showed him and Kevin at a bowling event with Night Vale’s purple ‘flag’ drawn on both of Kevin’s cheeks while he was cheering enthusiastically and Cecil was trying to outdo old woman Josie. Another one showed them both with a brainwashed look on their face and a glowing cloud above their heads. And the next one was Kevin meeting Cecil’s sister family. He was shaking Janice’s hand and there was also… ugh… Steve Carlsberg in the picture.

 

Other proofs of Kevin scattered across the apartment as well. Kevin’s mug with a smiley face drawn crudely on it. A shirt that Cecil was sure wasn’t his that said ‘Cats are the best!’ and another one that said ‘Be happy! You can never be too happy!’ and was that an embroidered pillow with the words ‘REACH YOUR FULL PRODUCTIVE POTENTIAL’ he saw? Too many yellow shirts. He swore he saw a glimpse of a friendship bracelet somewhere, too. They all painted a picture of a cheerful, passionate man with a bright look on life.

 

While these filled Cecil with a warmth he didn’t know he was capable of feeling, he still ached something badly. There were no scientific notes on the counter. There were no lab coats with strange stains in the hamper. There were no drawings of Carlos anywhere. There were no pictures of their dates, of dinners cooked at home, of Carlos hunching over the table, a concentrated look on his face as he tried to work on the statistics. Carlos often joked that he wore a constipated look on his face but Cecil just found it endlessly endearing. All of that was… just gone. They never existed if Kevin’s words were to be trusted…

 

Cecil picked up the smiley mug. All of those to be replaced with all of these. What was more important to him? A best friend or a lover? The thing was… Cecil didn’t know if he could be friends this Kevin or not. His past self apparently thought that he could, but Cecil had known a violent Kevin who caused everyone and everything too much pain. He didn’t know if it would be possible to build trust upon that much pain.

 

Cecil shook his head to get rid of the thought. There was no reason he couldn’t have both. Maybe the past was changed so Carlos hadn’t arrived at Night Vale yet. There was absolutely no reason to worry about this. He would look into that other Carlos that Kevin mentioned but he was confident that everything would go right as it was supposed to be. And then he could have something precious and he would keep it close to his heart and protect it with all his might.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you have reached the end of the first chapter. I hoped I did an okay job writing all the characters and keeping them in their respective personalities and I hope that I created the typical 'Night Vale' atmosphere in the story. I have listened to Triptych 4,5 times just to decide what kind of person I want pre-Strex Kevin to be and I have decided that he would still be cheerful, and passionate just not over too over the top and not as psychopathically violent as a certain villain we all know. I also thought that making Cecil a night owl and Kevin a morning lark was a funny idea. Hopefully, we will meet Carlos next chapter. If you could take the time to leave me a comment I would be extra happy :D Like what do you think of pre-Strex Kevin? They give me so much encouragment to continue with this idea. Stay tune for the next chapter of 'the weight of the truth'.


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